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1. Monitoring management of the BFP

In addition to monitoring compliance by beneficiaries with the conditionalities of the Bolsa

Familia Program (BFP), a subject addressed elsewhere by the WWP1, vital control work is

underway to prevent and remedy weaknesses or inefficiencies related to the management of

the program. Essential monitoring is carried out by the Ministry of Social Development (MDS),

through the National Secretariat for Citizen Income (SENARC). Data produced by the Ministry

of Transparency, Supervision and Control (CGU) - also plays an important role in this effort.

CGU findings, including information on possible shortcomings and irregularities in the local im-

plementation of the Bolsa Família Program, are notified to the MDS oversight and monitoring

division responsible for analyzing and resolving the issues presented to it, and for initiating spe-

cific administrative procedures to be applied to the individual municipalities concerned.

Although the CGU reports generally cover situations related to benefit fraud (a classic monito-

ring activity)2, we confine this article to monitoring and control situations related to improving

the management of the program. We do not deal here with, for example, the identification or

processing of irregularities (MDS, 2015).

Reports that concern BFP management shortcomings are sorted by subject (conditionalities,

benefits, registration, decentralized management) and relayed to specific divisions in the MDS

for analysis and referral. The receiving divisions are responsible for issuing guidelines on how

to address the notified shortcomings and for taking appropriate remedial action.

2. MONITORING THE BFP THROUGH MANAGEMENT OF REGISTRATION (CADASTRAL) DATA

In addition to assessing the need for management improvements detailed in the CGU reports,

the National Citizenship Income Secretariat (SENARC) encourages state and municipal autho-

rities, as well as families, to take specific steps to assess the quality of the data on beneficiaries

enrolled in the Unified Registry (CadÚnico). This is done by scrutinizing Bolsa Familia and

Unified Registry data, and is the principal tool used by the MDS for monitoring and preventing

irregularities and inefficiencies in this cash transfer program.

2.1. Bolsa Familia Program ‘cadastral review’

This procedure, in accordance with BFP rules3, involves families whose details appear in the

Unified Registry and who have been beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família for more than 24 mon-

ths without any cadastral change. The aim is to examine the recent social situation of the

enrolled families, which may affect the value of the benefits paid to them, or even the reci-

pients´ eligibility for such payments. In cases where family data is unchanged, the records are

updated as from the date of interview.

The annual review process, coordinated by SENARC, is staged as follows:

1 See http://wwp.org.br/en/publication/bolsa-familia-program-conditionalities-how-does-it-work/

2 See specific article on BFP enforcement activities in this same series on monitoring and control.

3 Government Directive GM / MDSA No. 617 of 11 August 2010.

June 2017

2

I. Extraction from the Unifi ed Registry database of a list of BFP families whose details

have not been updated for more than 2 years;

II. Lists are made available to municipalities through the BFP Management System (SI-

GBFP)4 which can be accessed by all municipalities;

III. Local managers are asked to contact the families identifi ed from the Unifi ed Registry.

Families are previously notifi ed (on their BFP fi nancial statement) of the deadline and

other guidance5 pertaining to the review of their CadÚnico data;

IV. After this deadline, families who have failed to have their details updated will have their

BFP benefi ts blocked;

V. If, after a period of time during which the benefi ts are blocked, the family´s cadastral

details are not updated, the BFP benefi ts are canceled forthwith6.

Since 2009, cadastral reviews have been applied to a total of 13.4 million files. Of these, the

data on 9.8 million registered beneficiaries have been updated, as a result of which 3.6 million

lost their benefits. Over the years, scrutinies of the Unified Registry have led to 20-40% of

registered claimants losing their BFP benefits.

2.2. The Cadastral Survey

The cadastral survey, carried out annually since 2005, involves checking the data contained

in Unified Registry (CadÚnico) of families benefiting (or not) from the Bolsa Família Program.

The objective is to ensure the accuracy of the Unified Registry database not only for the BFP,

but for all the policies and programs that use it. The checks consist of cross-referencing the

national CadÚnico database with data contained in other official registries in order to iden-

tify possible inconsistencies and to take appropriate steps to correct the data by using the

cadastral review7. This process involves a Technical Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between

SENARC and other federal public agencies that defines data confidentiality levels and work-

plans for the cross-referencing exercises8.

If inconsistencies are found, especially in the levels of declared income, families are placed

on a review list. The Cadastral Survey process applies to all the families registered in the Uni-

fied Registry that have some type of data inconsistency, regardless of whether they receive

benefits from social programs or not. In certain situations, the checking procedure involves a

home visit.

4 The SIGBFP, an online application developed by the MDSA, provides individual, secure and identifiable access for supporting the ma-

nagement procedures of the BFP, the Unified Registry, relations with states and municipalities, social control, benefits, etc.. A password is

needed to access the system.

5 For more information about communication processes related to beneficiaries and benefits in the Bolsa Familia Program, see the item

on BFP payment systems.

6 For more information about the Bolsa Família payment system, see the other two products on this subject in wwp.org.br.

7 The Cadastral Survey process was regulated by Government Directive GM/MDS No. 94 of 4 September 2013. This ordinance prescribes

a set of procedures that need to be taken for the systematic and regular checking of the consistency of data in the Unified Registry, and on

the steps to be taken for dealing with any inconsistencies identified.

8 Crosschecking of databases is undertaken by applying matchcodes based on beneficiaries´ identification data (various combinations

of a person ‘s full name, mothers full name, name of mother, date of birth and national ID). Once the persons registered in both the Mana-

gement Registry and the CadÚnico databases are identified, the cases which present diverging data are mapped and signs of any cadastral

inconsistencies are checked. Once the comparison is completed, the lists of families and individuals to be made available for municipal

managers are prepared..

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The MDS is responsible for the following:

I. Determine the target audience for the cadastral survey and review (only for BFP be-

nefi ciaries);

II. Publish the regulatory instrument, operational instructions and appropriate informa-

tion to guide the checking process in the municipalities, as well as to provide ‘action

schedules’ and periodic lists of families listed in the SIGBFP (see examples at Annexes

I and II);

III. Summon families via targeted messages on their benefi t payment statements or by

letter through the mail;

IV. Dispatch the lists and summary reports on the cadastral review monitoring processes

to the State Coordinating Units; and

V. Mount publicity campaigns for benefi ciaries, using the media and partner networks

such as those of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the Caixa (Fede-

ral Mortgage Bank)9.

Once each step of the process is completed, the MDS is responsible for initiating the neces-

sary administrative actions related to benefits (blocking, unblocking and cancelling benefits).

The Cadastral Survey process is illustrated at Figure 1.

9 Publicly-owned bank linked to the Ministry of Finance and managed by the Federal Government.

4

Figure 1- Cadastral Survey Flowchart

# Annual Social Information Report (RAIS)

* Computerized Death Notification System (SISOBI).

The Unified Registry and BFP State coordinating units are able to access via the SIGBFP the

lists of families living in the municipalities and that have been checked in the course of the

cadastral survey and review. The coordinating units also receive summary reports on the re-

levant situation in each of the municipalities. In this way, the State teams are better placed to

assist individual local authorities which have difficulties to access the SIGBFP lists, and sup-

port them with information campaigns targeted at beneficiaries.

Each municipality is responsible for taking steps to ensure that the families indicated as prio-

rity targets in the review and survey lists are able to ensure that their data is brought up to

date in accordance with the guidance and timelines established by the MDS. The process ne-

cessarily involves publicizing information about the required deadlines, as well as instructions

regarding the documents that families must present, and the places to which they must go to

update their details. A number of different resources can be used to assist with this, such as

local radio announcements, public loudspeaker messages, warning notices and posters put up

in schools, health centers, and throughout the entire Social Assistance network.

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# Annual Social Information Report (RAIS)

* Computerized Death Notification System (SISOBI).

The Unified Registry and BFP State coordinating units are able to access via the SIGBFPthe lists of families living in the municipalities and that have been checked in the course of the cadastral survey and review. The coordinating units also receive summary reports on the relevant situation in each of the municipalities. In this way, the State teams are better placed to assist individual local authorities which have difficulties to access theSIGBFP lists, and support them with information campaigns targeted at beneficiaries.

Each municipality is responsible for taking steps to ensure that the families indicated aspriority targets in the review and survey lists are able to ensure that their data is brought up to date in accordance with the guidance and timelines established by the MDS. The process necessarily involves publicizing information about the required deadlines, as well as instructions regarding the documents that families must present, and the places to which they must go to update their details. A number of different resources can be used to assist with this, such as local radio announcements, public loudspeaker messages,

Work meetings and signature of technical cooperation agreement (e.g. : RAIS#, SISOBI*, etc.)

Partner MDS Municipal Management

State Coordination

Crosschecking of databases

Production of lists of families with signs of

inconsistencies

Drafting publication of the operational instrument (example at Annex 1)

Files made available to municipal managers

Identification of the families and definition

of the updating strategy

Monthly monitoring of the group of families that

require cadastral updating Data collected and

altered in the system

Checking results and their impact on BFP benefits (if

appropriate)

Monitoring the process and providing technical,

operational and logistics support

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2.2.1. Cadastral Surveys carried out in 2005-2016

Between 2005 and 2016 ten surveys of the Unified Registry database were carried out. The

first three, by SENARC, led to the continuous upgrading of technical resources, to the wider

availability of data resources for subnational entities, and to enhanced scope of the cross-

checking exercises. The first survey was confined to crosschecking the Unified Registry with

the RAIS10, Brazil’s main labor market registry, while the second also included the BFP payroll.

Meanwhile, the third survey took into account the list of beneficiaries of the National Program

for Strengthening Family Agriculture (PRONAF), managed by the former Ministry of Agra-

rian Development (MDA).11 Checking possible inconsistencies involved detecting whether BFP

beneficiary households had obtained PRONAF credit lines that were incompatible with the

levels of income determined by legislation as being the upper limit for receiving BFP benefits.

In 2009, the National Court of Audit (TCU)12 conducted the broadest cadastral survey ever of

the BFP. This involved five cross checking exercises:

» People whose deaths had been formally registered in public notaries and whose de-tails have been entered in the online system for registration of deaths in Brazil (SISOBI), but whose names had not been deleted from the Unifi ed Registry database;

» Registered people owning automobiles, trucks, motorcycles and small buses, and the value of which was incompatible with the income levels of poor families, were identifi ed by crosschecking the Unifi ed Registry and the National Registry of Motor Vehicles (RE-NAVAM);

» Registered people recorded as being elected or ‘alternate’ politicians based on cross checking with the database of the Higher Electoral Court (TSE);

» Persons who were either benefi ciaries of, or contributors to, the Social Security and Pensions system (Previdência Social) whose benefi ts and contributions had not been declared to the Unifi ed Registry. Incomes were also mapped from statements provided by cross checking the National Social Data Registry (CNIS) and the Unifi ed Benefi ts System (SUB);

» Persons responsible for the Family Unit (RF) not in possession of a CPF or a voter ID.

Data collection for cadastral checking has to be mandatorily undertaken in the family home. In

addition, SENARC has created the System to Monitor Unified Registry Audits (SIMAC), which

can be accessed on the internet by municipal managers required to complete questionnaires

regarding the socio-economic reality of the families visited.

10 The Annual Social Information Report (RAIS) supplies information on the oversight of labor activities in Brazil. It aims inter alia to

identify workers eligible to receive the Abono Salarial. Other functions of the RAIS are to provide data for labor statistics and the provision of

relevant information on the employment market for government agencies. The RAIS is effectively an administrative register created in 1975

under the aegis of the Ministry of Labor.

11 The MDA was incorporated by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil in 2003 as the Special Secretariat for Family

Agriculture and Agrarian Development (SEAD).

12 The TCU forms part of the structure of the Federal Legislature. Its role is to assist Brazil’s National Congress to exercise external

control. The TCU also plays a role in the BFP Public Monitoring Network as described in the first article of the series on BFP Oversight and

Control.

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These periodic exercises continued throughout 2010, 2011 and 2012, involving cross checks

between the databases of the Unified Registry, SISOBI, CNIS and SUB. Suspected cadastral

inconsistencies were also mapped by the CGU. The latter is responsible for internal control

of the BFP, while following routines and procedures separate from SENARC. There were two

surveys in 2013. The first involved cross checking Unified Registry, BFP payroll and TSE data-

bases. This operation identified elected and alternate politicians whose families were bene-

ficiaries of the Bolsa Familia. The second check, performed by CGU and SENARC, involved

analyzing the internal consistency of the data declared in the Unified Registry when cross

checked with other administrative registries.

The same procedure involving crosschecks between the Unified Registry, the BFP payroll and

other administrative registries continued in 2014. This targeted exclusively BFP beneficiary

families who might have underreported income, including income from work, social securi-

ty benefits or donations. In 2015, cadastral checking with the CNIS was automated, and the

results were produced in the 2016. As from 2016 the cross checking operations between the

CadÚnico and the 2016 CNIS henceforth no longer required dual computing routines.

The latest survey in 2016 cross checked Unified Registry data with information from the 2015

CNIS, the 2014 RAIS and relevant data generated by both the CGU13 and TCU14. This procedure

resulted in the discovery of 1.1 million inconsistent records, i.e. 8% of the approximately 13.9

million Bolsa Família benefits disbursed at the end of 2016.

Since 2009, cadastral surveys have followed similar procedures, with marginal improvements.

5.5 million records have been checked, generating around 3.6 million ‘updates’ and resulting

in the cancellation of around 2 million benefits.

2.2.2. Lessons Learned from Cadastral Surveys

Many lessons have been learned from the cadastral survey experiences. The main lesson le-

arned relates to the choice of management database registries that have added value to the

data contained in the Unified Registry. It has been noted that some of the databases display

inconsistencies that largely fail to improve the quality of the data already in the Unified Regis-

try, as well as burdening the state with ineffective results. A prime example was the utilization

(later discarded) of the RENAVAM vehicle database in 2009.

Efforts were also made to forecast income data from the Unified Registry by applying statisti-

cal techniques to estimate family incomes based on mass household surveys such as the 2010

Demographic Census. The outcomes of the analyses carried out in 2013 were not effective

because the home visits related to cases where inconsistencies had been detected confirmed

that the Registry contained far fewer enrolment errors than anticipated15. Nevertheless, this

checking method is still promising: after this first attempt, others were made to harmonise the

basic precepts of the Unified Registry and the official household surveys.

13 Findings of the 39th and 40th CGU public draws (sorteios).

14 Income inconsistencies noted in TCU Judgement No. 1009 of April 2016.

15 In cases where forecats allegedly indicated that 90% of incomes were being underreported, evidence of underreporting or omission

was observed only in 25% of the cases as a result of interviews conducted in beneficiaries’ homes.

7

A further important lesson was the automation of database cross checking procedures whi-

ch produced good quality outcomes. This proved to be invaluable in, for example, the 2016

checking process. In more general terms, the checking processes entail a crucial lesson: the

need for greater care to ensure that the prescribed actions do not generate erroneous can-

cellation of benefits. In this respect, good communication with the beneficiaries helped to

improve methods for summoning beneficiaries to update their data. Publicity or information

campaigns were also mounted to encourage people to read the messages contained in their

BFP payment slips and bank statements. Campaigns also alerted municipal public officials, as

well as beneficiaries, to the fact that being a public employee does not necessarily prevent

either group from receiving benefits, providing that the beneficiaries fit the profile established

by the Bolsa Familia program.

8

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

BRAZIL. Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger (2015). Report of the Natio-nal Secretariat of Citizenship Income, 2014. Ministry of Social Development and Fight against

Hunger, Secretariat for Management Evaluation and Information - National Secretariat of Citi-

zenship Income, Brasilia, MDS, 2015.

9

Annex I - Operational Instruction No. 79 SENARC / MDS 29 April 201616.

Subject: Reports the terms and procedures for Cadastral Updating 2016, including Ca-

dastral Review and Survey procedures.

1. INTRODUCTION

The data provided by the Unified Registry for Social Programs of the Federal Government

(CadÚnico) inform the formulation and implementation of over 30 public policies at federal

level that are in a position to foster the improvement of the quality of life of Brazilian families.

In order to maintain good quality Unified Registry data, the National Secretariat of Citizenship

Income (SENARC) mobilizes states, municipalities and families to adhere to the Cadastral

Review and Survey procedures.

The aim of the Cadastral Review or Update is to ensure that the data declared to the Unified

Registry by families enrolled in the Bolsa Familia Program (BFP), but that have been identified

as having out-of-date registration for over 24 months, is brought up to date, in accordance

with MDS Government Directive No. 617 of 11 August 2010. The updating process aims to en-

sure that families´ most recent status is properly recorded in the Unified Registry.

This year, in addition to the Cadastral Review of BFP beneficiary families, SENARC will also

coordinate at the federal level the procedures for updating the registered data of families

benefiting from the Electric Energy Social Tariff (TSEE) and the Continued Social Assistance

Benefit (BPC). Since 2013, TSEE beneficiary families have been summoned to update their

details, but this has been implemented by ANEEL and the electric power concessionaires with

a separate procedure not coordinated with the MDS. This has increased the workload of the

municipalities. The implementation of new joint action in this respect is designed to indicate

to municipal managers which audience needs to be mobilized. It is also expected that com-

prehensive planning of cadastral updating procedures will improve.

The Cadastral Survey involves checking the data recorded in the Unified Registry by means of

cross checking the national database with information contained in other administrative regis-

tries in order to identify possible inconsistencies, and to adopt measures for processing data

by means of cadastral updating according to MDS Government Directive No. 94 of 4 Septem-

ber 2013. This process involves all the families enrolled in the Unified Registry that have some

form of registration inconsistency, and those who have current up-to-date data in the registry

regardless of whether they are receiving some type of social program benefit or not.

The databases of the National Social Information Registry (CNIS) 2015 and the Annual So-

cial Information Report (RAIS) 2014, both run by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security

(MTPS), were used as a data source for the 2016 Cadastral Survey. Also included were families

identified in surveys undertaken by the Federal Audit Court (TCU) and the former Federal

16 Operational Reports are used by the MDSA to explain the details of how Bolsa Família Program procedures should be performed in

the municipalities (and in the states as appropriate). The content of these reports is also summariized in the “Bulletin for BFP Municipal Bolsa

Familia Managers” and delivered by e-mail to the entire network BFP management network. The bulletin referring to Operational Instruction

No. 79 is reproduced in Annex II of this document.

10

Comptroller General (CGU). The above information refers principally to differences between

income reported in the Unified Registry and income and benefits recorded in other registries.

It also covers data on dead persons whose names are still registered as if they were still alive.

In short, the Cadastral Review and Cadastral Survey are two different processes with the same

objectives: to guarantee that the Unified Registry contains reliable and up-to-date informa-

tion.

This Operational Instruction determines the procedures, deadlines and impacts of the 2016

Cadastral Survey and Review. Launching these two procedures as a joint exercise should ena-

ble municipalities to have an overarching view of the need to prioritize updating the registries

in their territories in order to enhance local action planning.

2. TARGET AUDIENCE

To define the target audience for the Cadastral Survey, data on families with up-to-date regis-

tration in the Unified Registry as at December 2015 was cross checked with:

» The 2015 CNIS, which consolidates all CLT-linked incomes with the monthly FGTS Con-tribution Guide and Social Welfare (Previdência Social) data, all the INSS benefi ts (inclu-ding the BFP) and death certifi cate information;

» The 2014 RAIS only for those linked to the Unifi ed Legal Regime (RJU);

» Findings from the 39th and 40th CGU public draws; and

» Indications of income inconsistencies noted by the TCU Judgement

(Acórdão) No. 1009 of April 2016.

To define the target audience for the Cadastral Review process, families that had not updated

their details in the Unified Registry for a period of two years or more were considered as per

the following categories:

» Benefi ciary families of the Bolsa Familia Program according to the Unifi ed Registry as at December 2015 and the BFP payroll for January 2016;

» TSEE benefi ciary families according to the Unifi ed Registry in December 2015 and the TSEE database of benefi ciary families for the same month; and

» BPC benefi ciary families according to the Unifi ed Registry in December 2015 and the BPC database for the same month.

The Cadastral Review covers beneficiary families of the BFP, the TSEE or BPC that have failed

to update their registration details in the Unified Registry since December 2013.

NB: Families who had already updated their registration details between January and March

2016 were removed from the target audience of this cadastral updating process and were not

named in the SIGPBF lists.

For municipalities to be better organized and able to guarantee appropriate care for families,

the target audience for this action was divided into different groups (see chart), with different

cadastral updating deadlines, benefit impacts and receipt of messages e.g. (letters and bene-

fit payment statements).

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The target audience of each group was largely defined in terms of separating families that

receive BFP from those that do not. However, in the BFP families (Groups 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8) there

may be families that receive TSEE or BPC benefits as well as cash from the BFP.

3. COMMUNICATION TO FAMILIES

To enable municipal authorities to inform families about the requirement to update their de-

tails in the Unified Registry a number of planning initiatives commencing in 2016 (up to March

2017), will be taken to summon families to do this.

Families will be notified by letter, and existing BFP beneficiaries will also receive notices on

their benefit payment statements. Families falling into the cadastral survey category will be

summoned first, followed by those involved in the Cadastral Review.

ProcessTarget Audience

Groups Description

CadastralSurvey

PBF

G1BFP families faulting three times in cadastral

surveys

G2

BFP families:

- faulting twice in cadastral surveys, or

- inconsistencies in undeclared deaths; or

- noted by the CGU and TCU or;

- with income inconsistencies arising from hol-

ding public office; or

- with income declared in the Unified Registry

much lower than that recorded in other adminis-

trative registries.

G3

BFP beneficiaries with incomes declared in the

Unified Registry different from that registered in

other administrative registries.

Non-BFP

G4

TSEE or BPC beneficiary families with incomes

declared in the Unified Registry different from

those registered in other administrative registries.

G5

Other families with incomes declared in the Uni-

fied Registry different from those registered in

other administrative registries.

CadastralReview

Non-BFP G6TSEE or BPC beneficiary families with outdated

cadastral entries.

PBF

G7

BFP beneficiary families with outdated registra-

tions following the last update (in the first semes-

ter of 2013)

G8

BFP beneficiary families with outdated registra-

tions following the last update (in the second

semester of 2013

12

See Annex 1 of this operational instruction for details of the letters to be sent to families, as

well as the notices to be contained in benefit statements for BFP beneficiaries.

NB: Some of the families who update their cadastral data in a given month might receive the

message or letter during the month following the updating procedure. This can occur in cases

where families update their data after the deadline fixed for delivery of messages and letters.

In these cases, if the families present at the registration posts again, it is recommended that

the municipality should check whether there has been an alteration in the date of the cadas-

tral update in the Unified Registry System since the last interview with the family. If the date

of the updating has been altered, the letters or messages will not be issued in the following

month.

4. IMPACTS ON BFP, TSEE AND BPC BENEFICIARY FAMILIES

After the initial stage involving summoning families by letter or statement messages, actions

are initiated that can affect the benefits of families that have failed to respond to the sum-

mons or, after a new interview resulting in their data being updated, submit information that

is incompatible with them continuing to benefit from the programs.

Given that there are staggered deadlines for updating the register and for the impacts on

benefits, it is essential for each municipality to obtain its list of families that is available in the

BFP Management System (SIGBFP). Furthermore, municipal managements must analyze all

the details on these lists in order to plan their approach to families in an appropriate manner.

The procedures for obtaining these files (lists) are detailed in Section 7 of this Operational

Instruction.

NB: All the families in the Cadastral Survey (i.e. G1, G2, G3, G4, G5), who are beneficiaries of the

BFP, TSEE, BPC or other programs, and who have not attended a new interview, could have

their data excluded from the Unified Registry. SENARC will put into effect logical deletion as

from January 2017 for G1, G4 and G5 categories, and from July 2017 for G2 and G3 categories.

4.1. Impact on BFP benefi ts

For BFP beneficiary families, staggered blocking of benefits has been established, with can-

cellation after benefits have been blocked for a period of two months as from the Cadastral

Survey (G2 and G3) and three months from the time of the Cadastral Review (G7 and G8).

Benefits will be blocked for the following:

» Families who fail to update their details by the fi nal deadline for avoiding blocking;

» Families who after the cadastral update have incomes of over R$154.00 per person.

» Families who in the cadastral survey are detected as having monthly per capita inco-mes of over R$ 77.00 and are receiving only the basic cash benefi t.

Blocked benefits can be released only at the behest of the Municipal Manager and SENARC

after the cadastral update and on the basis of a reassessment of family data. If families fit the

appropriate profile their benefits will be unblocked. It is worth noting that after reassessment

the benefits may differ from the previous amounts depending on the cadastral data provided

by families at interview.

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The following will have their benefits cancelled altogether:

» Families who according to the cadastral survey and review fail to update their details by the deadline set for avoiding cancellation;

» Families who according to the cadastral survey, have per capita incomes of over R $ 154.00 following the update; and

» Families who according to the cadastral survey receive only the Basic Benefi t and who, following the cadastral update, have per capita incomes of over R$77.00.

NB: The rule covering continuance in the Program does not apply to the BFP beneficiary fa-

milies detected in the Cadastral Survey.

It is important to emphasise that families who have had their benefits cancelled due to their

failure to meet the required deadlines will retain the possibility of returning to the BFP provi-

ding they update their data and retain their BFP eligibility profile. Therefore, even after the de-

adlines have passed, the municipal managers will remain responsible for updating the registry

and ordering the cancellation process to be reversed (directly in the SIBEC). This procedure

must be performed within a deadline of six (6) months from the date of cancellation. After

this deadline, families can only resume their status in the BFP by undergoing a new enrolment

process. In certain cases, SENARC may also issue orders for benefits to recommence.

Cases of benefit cancellation resulting from the cadastral survey should be approached with

caution. It is recommended that benefits should recommence only after families have updated

their details during an interview in their homes during which the municipal manager is able to

certify that the family fulfils all the necessary requirements to continue receiving BFP benefits.

Reversing cancelled benefits will be the responsibility of the municipal manager who must

ensure that the family in question fulfils all the entry or re-entry criteria for the Bolsa Familia

Program.

IMPORTANT:

• For families who have had their benefits cancelled as the result of the cadastral survey

process, reversal of the cancellation process will only be effected after family data has been

updated, and when proof is presented of per capita incomes of up to R$154,00.

• For families who have had their benefits cancelled as the result of the cadastral review, reversal

of the cancellation process will only be effected after data has been updated.

The Bolsa Família Program is aimed at poor or extremely poor families with very fragile links

to the labor market. The MDS therefore acknowledges that per capita incomes may vary up to

the limit cited in Article 18 of Decree Nº 5.209/2004, without any immediate exclusion of the

family from benefits. This measure is regulated by § 1º of Article 21 of Decree Nº 5.209/2004.

However, according to §1º of Article 6º of Government Directive Nº 617, amended by Gover-

nment Directive Nº 118 of 30 December 2015, families subject to the checking process of the

Unified Registry (Cadastral Survey) or the SENARC surveillance procedure.

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It is also worth noting that in 2016 families can excluded from the BFP for a variety of other

reasons. However, since they will still be registered in the Unified Registry, they will continue

to be listed since all families targeted by the checking procedure will need to undergo a new

interview in order to ensure that their data qualifies them to benefit from other programs un-

der the Unified Registry. In the event that a new interview does not take place, such families

will be subject to logical exclusion.

G1: Immediate Cancellation and Specifi c Updating Procedure

The benefits of families who have faulted the three times in cadastral checks (i.e. families in

group 1) will be cancelled in May 2016. These families will receive messages on their BFP pay-

ment statements about cancellation of the benefits. In these cases, reversing cancellation of

the benefits can only be undertaken after data has been updated in the course of interviews

in the family home and the preparation of a confirmatory document issued by the BFP ma-

nagement and filed in the municipality. The home interview must be indicated in Item “2” of

box “1.08 –Form of Data Collection”, in block No.1 of the registration form and recorded in the

Unified Registry System.

4.2 Impacts on the Electricity Social Tari�

The TSEE beneficiary families who have been detected in the cadastral survey (G1, G2, G3 and

G4) and cadastral review (G6, G7 and G8) must update their registrations by the deadline pro-

vided for each group, according to the schedule in Section 6. After this deadline, SENARC will

submit to the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) lists of those families will have failed

to update their registration details, in order to enable that agency to organize, together with

the electricity concessionaires, the cancelling of TSEE benefits starting in the month following

the cut-off date for updating the appropriate data. The following will have their TSEE benefits

cancelled:

» Families who have failed to attend a new interview for updating their data by the can-cellation deadline; and

» Families with a per capita income of over one half of a minimum salary.

4.3 Impacts on BPC benefi ts

The BPC beneficiary families detected in the cadastral survey (G1, G2, G3 and G4) and ca-

dastral review (G6, G7 and G8) must update their registrations by the deadline provided for

each group, according to the schedule in Section 6. In principle, this will have no impact on

the payment of BPC benefits (neither for families who have failed to update their data, nor for

those who have done so) and is dependent on the information provided at the new interview.

5. IMPACT ON OTHER FAMILIES OF THE CADASTRAL UPDATING PROCESS.

Other families included in the cadastral survey (G5) category who have not had a new in-

terview for updating their data by the fixed deadline could have their details excluded from

the Unified Registry after January 2017. Exclusion can lead to families losing their benefits as

well as being prevented from belonging to a series of social programs including the BFP, the

TSEE, INSS low-income retirement and widow´s pension (the so-called “housewife´s benefit

15

“), exemption from public competition charges and from fees charged by federal public uni-

versities (SISU), etc. Note that before final exclusion, such families will also be prevented from

benefiting from the BFP and the Electricity Social Tariff until they attend a new interview.

6. SCHEDULE AND ACTION AGENDA FOR REGISTRATION UPDATE 2016

6.1. Schedule of the Cadastral Survey

7. PROCEDURES FOR IDENTIFICATION AND LISTING OF TARGET AUDIENCE

Municipal managers are responsible for ensuring that all the families indicated to undertake

the 2016 cadastral updating process attend a new interview for updating their data according

to the guidelines and deadlines set by SENARC. Organization of this task must be based on

the list of families in the target population. This list is available in the Bolsa Familia Manage-

ment System (SIGBFP) at http://www.MDS.gov.br/bolsafamilia/sistemagestaobolsafamilia (in

Portuguese only).

The following data on the target audience can be extracted from the SIGBFP:

» Confi rmation of the checking category that applies to each family (Cadastral Review or Cadastral Survey);

» Evidence that the family is a benefi ciary of the BFP, BPC or the TSEE;

» The group in which families have been placed: G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7 or G8;

» The cadastral data pertaining to each family such as the family code number, name and NIS number of the person responsible for the family unit (RF), the date of the most recent cadastral update, per capita income, home address and telephone number;

» The deadline for updating registration before benefi ts are impacted (dates of BFP blocking and BFP/TSEE cancellation) or logical exclusion avoided;

» In the case of families detected by the cadastral survey, the name and NIS number of the family member with registration inconsistencies.

Actions G1 G2 G3

Message on statement (from...) May 2016 May 2016 June 2016

Letters dispatched (from...) ------- May 2016 July 2016

Deadline for cadastral update to prevent

blocked BFP------- 17 June 2016 21 October 2016

Blocked BFP ------- July 2016 November 2016

Deadline for cadastral update to avoid

cancellation of BFP and TSEE benefits-------

19 August

201616 December 2016

Cancellation of BFP and TSEE May 2016September

2016January 2017

Month of the deadline for reversing BFP

cancellation

November

2016Mar 2017 July 2017

Data scheduled for logical exclusion January

2017July 2017 July 2017

(The above is only an illustrative example. The original document contained other schedules

not shown for reasons of space)

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After accessing the SIGBFP, users must click on the menu “Administrative> Send Files > Uplo-

ad / Download files”.

After accessing the Upload/Download files area, the municipal agent user must click on the

folder “CADASTRAL UPDATE 2016”:

17

The municipal agent must then proceed to locate the file named: “UF_NOMEMUNICIPIO_CO-

DIGOIBGE_AtualizacaoCadastral_2016.csv”

The municipal agent must save a copy of this list by clicking on the file download icon. The list

is in the “CSV” format, where each row displays information from a family identified as part of

the target audience to be summoned for data updating purposes.

To assist activities planning, the municipal manager can open the file “CSV” directly in Excel or

other data software. It is possible to filter and sort the data according to the criteria that mana-

gement wishes to employ such as: the category and group in which the family has been placed,

beneficiaries of social programs, deadlines for cadastral updating, places within the municipa-

lity or Territorial Local Unit (if applicable) where this can be done; the final digits of the Social

Identification Number (NIS) belonging to the person responsible for the Family Unit, etc.

Municipal managers must pay close attention to the deadlines set for each group and seek to

organise the various tasks in order to avoid families suffering from non-receipt of their bene-

fits at the appropriate time.

» A new face-to-face interview with the family is required in order to update registration details.

» Take care to update all the family data that has been altered in one way or another.

» It is incumbent on managers to inform all family members including spouses, elderly people and any handicapped individuals in the family unit.

» It is incumbent on managers to record all the income data of each individual person in a family unit.

» Although not obligatory, it is recommended that elderly and handicapped people BFP benefi ts should be interviewed at home for the cadastral updating process, given that such people may have mobility problems.

» Remember that the data collected must be entered in the Unifi ed Registry System (CadÚnico)

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8. GUIDELINES FOR THE REGISTRATION UPDATING PROCESS

During the Registration Updating exercise for 2016, municipalities must be aware of the need

to be in possession of the e-mail and at least one telephone number of families since SENARC

is proposing to use these two methods to improve communication with the target audience

of the Unified Registry and its user programs.

Families must also be correctly informed of the need to present the required documents:

(a) for the person responsible for the Family Unit (RF): presentation of the CPF or Voter

ID is obligatory. Only indigenous and maroon families can be excused from this requi-

rement providing they have some other nationally-valid identification acceptable to the

Unified Registry.

(b Other family members will need to present at least one of the following documents:

» Birth Certifi cate;

» Marriage Certifi cate;

» Indigenous Birth Certifi cate (RANI);

» Individual Tax Registration ID (CPF);

» National Identity Card (RG);

» Social Security and Labour booklet;

» Voter Registration ID.

Although the Unified Registry requires at least one document per family member to be pre-

sented, the interviewer must make a note of all the data on the various documents that the

family has in its possession at the time of the interview to ensure that the record is as com-

plete as possible.

If there are doubts about the veracity of the data reported by families, the interviewer may

ask the RF to sign a specific agreement that he or she assumes responsibility for the accuracy

of the information collected. A suggested term of agreement can be found at Annex II of this

Operating Instruction. The agreement signed must be attached to the family registration form

or to the Summary Sheet (Folha Resumo) and retained on file for five years.

We recommend reading in full Government Directives 177 of 16 June 2011 and 94 of 4 Septem-

ber 2013, to obtain more details on Unified Registry procedures and thus ensure delivery of a

good quality service.

9. ASSISTANCE FOR MUNICIPALITIES

Any doubts that municipal managers may have can be addressed to the client service center

of the Ministry of Social Development - 0800 707 2003, which operates 24/24 seven days a

week.

Additional guidance can be obtained by accessing: gestorpbf@mds.gov.br or cadastrounico@

mds.gov.br.

The procedures described will also be available in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) area

related to municipal management-related activities.

SENARC will provide support activities for municipalities such as the tutorial available on the

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MDS training website - http://www.mds.gov.br/eads (in Portuguese only) - to assist municipal

managers to undertake listing of their target audience for the 2016 updating exercise. A sec-

tion to cover Q&A on this topic will also be available.

All the legislation referring to the Unified Registry and the Bolsa Familia Program can be ob-

tained at http://www.mds.gov.br (in Portuguese only).

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Annex II -Note No. 530 (8 November 2016) for Municipal Bolsa Familia Managers

The Federal Government has identified inconsistencies in more than 1.1 million benefits. These

accounts will be blocked and cancelled by November. These partly result from the biggest

data-crossing exercise in the history of the Bolsa Família Program.

As part of actions to enhance the focus of the BFP, tasks were completed this week using 6

Federal Government databases, reports, registries and control systems:

» The Annual Social Data Report (RAIS);

» The Ministry of Labor’s General Employment and Unemployment Registry (CAGED);

» The INSS Permanent Benefi ts and Assistance System;

» The National Deaths Notifi cation Registry (SISOBI);

» The Integrated Human Resources System for Federal Government Employees (SIAPE);

» The National Registry of Legal Persons (CNPJ).

By cross-referencing these databases with the BFP payroll, registration inconsistencies were

identified in approximately 1.1 million of the 13.9 million benefits currently being disbursed

under the BFP:

» 469, 000 cases (3.3%) refer to the underreporting of incomes exceeding half of a mini-mum salary. The recipients in this case will have their benefi ts cancelled in the November payroll;

» 654,000 cases (4.7%) refer to the underreporting of incomes of between R$170 and one half of a minimum salary (R$440). The benefi ciaries in this case will have their bene-fi ts blocked and will be summoned to update their registration data.

Understanding the raison d’être for the above actions

In June 2016, at the request of Minister Osmar Terra, the Inter-Institutional Working Group

(IWG) was created with a view to improving procedures and data-matching routines used for

managing the policies developed by the Ministry of Social and Agrarian Development (MDS).

Over a period of four months the MDS Executive Secretariat coordinated the work of the IWG,

with technical support provided by SENARC and with the participation of other departments

of the ministry, in addition to the National Social Security Institute (INSS), the Ministry of Fi-

nance, the Chief of Staff´s Office of the Presidency of the Republic, the Ministry of Planning,

Development and Management (MPDG), the Ministry of Transparency, Supervision and Con-

trol, and the support of the Federal Mortgage Bank (Caixa Econômica Federal-CAIXA).

Individual income data supplied by the Unified Registry was compared with data recorded in

other federal government databases and management records. In the event of new individual

incomes being identified, the new data was added to other income declared in the Family

Register, thus representing “new” family income.

The cross-referencing exercise was invaluable for developing methodologies and concepts

that will facilitate the annual and monthly cadastral reviews and analyses and reduce the

average time taken to identify MDS families with higher incomes than those declared in the

Unified Registry. Several challenges remain for SENARC to tackle after the completion of the

IWG activities, such as the need to classify all the cadastral data of the Unified Registry User

Programs, automate the crosschecking of data, and improve communication strategies aimed

21

at broadening and ensuring correct knowledge about the Unified Register and BFP rules re-

lated to registration.

Throughout 2016, other control mechanisms and the Bolsa Familia Cadastral Survey included

complementary cross checking exercises with data supplied by the Superior Electoral Court

(TSE) and the Federal Audit Court (TCU). The MDS´s current objective is to further expand

the control tools for Bolsa Família eligibility and continue employing procedures to ensure

that the BFP is correctly focused.

HOW MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENTS SHOULD PROCEED

Beneficiaries who have had their benefits canceled or blocked will receive a message on their

BFP pay slips, and can also consult their status in the BFP online application available in the

main cellphone operating systems.

Municipal managers should take steps to ensure that all the families affected by the situation

update their cadastral data in accordance with SENARC guidelines and deadlines. The tasks

should start with obtaining the list of families summoned. This list will be accessible in the

Bolsa Família Program Management System (SIGBFP) at www.mds.gov.br/bolsafamilia/siste-

magestaobolsafamilia (in Portuguese only) by the end of this week (11/11).

All the families that are summoned who have had their BFP benefits either blocked or cancel-

led in November can be unblocked and un-cancelled by municipal managers directly in the

Citizen Benefits System (SIBEC) providing they still fit the income profile for BFP eligibility.

It is important to note that cancellations will apply to families receiving above half of the na-

tional minimum salary when per capita family incomes are recalculated. Therefore, in order to

reverse the cancellation of benefits it will be necessary for families to update their details via

a mandatory home visit by a municipal official. In these cases, even when families have upda-

ted their details in the municipal registration posts, cancellation of benefits will take place if

data collection has been done in a different way from that set forth in this note. In addition to

the home visit, families should be in possession of a confirmatory document prepared by the

municipal BFP management (similar documents to those prepared for immediate cancellation

groups resulting from the annual cadastral survey procedures).

Families with blocked benefits must update their data by 17 February 2017 at the latest. Those

who fail to update before this date will have their benefits cancelled. Furthermore, all families

that reveal during the cadastral updating process that they are receiving a per capita income

of over one half of the minimum salary will have their benefits immediately cancelled in spite

of the newly amended data. It is important for municipal managers to pay close attention to

requests for unblocking benefits and cancellation reversal.

IMPORTANT!

Families must be warned that withholding information or providing false information to the

Unified Registry is illegal. Bolsa Familia fraudsters will have their benefits cancelled and will be

obliged to return all the monies that have been improperly received. They will also be charged

with criminal/civil offences. Finally, families must commit to updating their cadastral details

whenever important changes take place, such as change of address, change of work and in-

come, a family birth or death, etc.